Display structure



D 1962 R. o SCHAYER 3,070,339

DISPLAY STRUCTURE Filed Sept. '7, 1960 fizae rziar Bebe/Z (9. 50%ayer W mm =-A9M,

United States Patent 3,076,339 DISPLAY STRUCTURE Robert 0. Schayer, Skokie, Ill., assignor to Wells Lamont Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Sept. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 54,498 6 Claims. (Cl. 248-223) jj The present invention relates to merchandise display structure, and more particularly to a prong type merchandise support securable in a display rack or stand of the type by which articles of merchandise are suspended for display and sale.

Prior display structures of this type have b en subject to the difliculty that because the prongs or similar merchandise sup-ports are of simple rod-like form, merchandise suspended therefrom is readily caused to swing in any of several directions, as by jostling of the display stand or handling of the merchandise, so as to become engaged or entangled with merchandise on adjacent supports. This results in an untidy and unattractive appearance and interferes with inspection of the articles, thus tending to cause a reduction in sales. vention, a construction is provided which prevents any substantial swinging or rotation of the merchandise transversely of the support, and greatly minimizes turning of the merchandise about axes normal to the support and swinging of the merchandise longitudinally of the support. Moreover, the present arrangement tends to effect return to the proper position of any merchandise swung to another position.

The present invention also provides a support which is braced and strengthened so as to be capable of sustaining without distortion a greater weight of merchandise than prior supports. The construction despite its advantages does not interfere with threading of merchandisc on the support in the usual manner, and is simply and inexpensively provided.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a merchandise support for a display stand which substantially prevents rotation of the merchandise thereabout.

Another object is the provision of a merchandise support which minimizes swinging of merchandise in any direction.

Another object is the provision of a merchandise support which tends to effect return to position of displaced By the present in merchandise so as to promote neat, orderly, and inviting display of the merchandise.

A further object is the provision of a merchandise support of a construction preventing or largely minimizing displacement of the merchandise and reinforcing the support for sustaining increased weight of merchandise.

Another object is the provision of a merchandise sup in port of braced and rigidified construction for increased capacity.

Another object is the provision of a display structure including a merchandise support and merchandise-suspending means slidably receivable on the support in which the support and suspending means have engaging portions of corresponding configuration for restraining the merchandise against displacement.

A further object is the provision of a display structure Other and further objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a merchandise support member according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the support member in operative position in a display structure; and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line 33 of FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated a merchandise display structure which includes a projectingprong type of merchandise support generally designated It the details of which are best shown in FIGURE 1. The support 10 is specifically intended for detachable securement as part of a display stand or rack having an upstanding wall with a multiplicity of apertures therethrough equally spaced in horizontal rows to allow selective positioning ofthe supports. The support 16 is accordingly shown as provided with means for engagement in such apertures, although it is to be understood that other means maybe employed on the support for temporary or permanent securement in other types of display stand constructions.

The support 10 comprises an elongated element such as a rod which has one end portion 11 extending at a relatively sharp angle, substantially to the adjacent intermediate portion 12 of the rod, and the other end portion 13 bent to extend in the same plane as the portion 11 but in the opposite direction, and extending at a relatively slight angle to the adjacent intermediate portion 12, which is of appreciable length and preferably is substantially straight. Adjacent the end portion 11 of the rod, there is provided a generally U-shaped securing member the bight portion 14-of which extends transversely of the intermediate rod portion 12, engaging in the bend between the end portion 11 and the intermediate portion and welded or otherwise fixed thereto. The securing member has a pair of substantially parallel arms 15 extending from the bight portion in the direction opposite that of'the straight rod portion 12 and in a substantially parallel plane. The free end portions 16 of the arms are bent in a common plane to extend in a direction generally opposite to that of the end portion 11. The support 10 is completed by a rod-like element, shown as of smaller di ameter than the rod of which the main portion is formed, and which is bent to an elongated U-shape providing a pair of straight parallel legs 17 connected at one end by a bent portion 18, which is welded or otherwise secured to the straight portion 12 in spaced relation from the end of the end portion 13, the other end of each leg 17 being welded or otherwise secured to the bight portion 14 of the securing member. The legs 17' extend parallel to the straight rod portion 12 and to each other, lying in a common plane spaced from the rod portion 12 by the thickness of the U-shaped member. The portions 19 of the legs 17 adjacent the connecting bend 18 are suitably bent to converge toward each other and toward the rod, so as to allow the bend 18 to contact the rod portion 12 while the legs extend as described. As best evident from FIG- URE 3, the straight rod portion 12 and the legs 17 provide a cross-sectional arrangement which defines a triangular outline.

As will appear clearly from FIGURE 2, the merchandise support 10 is removably engageable with an upstanding wall member 20 of a display stand or rack which may have any suitable base for supporting the wall portion 20 in upright position. The support 10 is secured on the wall portion 20 by engagement of the arms 15 through a pair of apertures 21 formed in the wall portion, only one of the apertures being shown, the spacing of the arms 15 corresponding to that of the apertures. The end portion 11 of the support extends downwardly and engages against one face of the wall, and the bent end portions 16 of the arms 15 of the U-shaped member extend upwardly adjacent the opposite face of the wall. The arrangement is such that the support extends substantially horizontally from the one face of the wall portion 20, in operative position for supporting merchandise, although other than a horizontal position might be employed. While the support 10 may be employed to carry merchandise in various ways for display and sale, the most usual manner of using prong-type supports is to suspend merchandise therefrom, a number of similar articles of merchandise commonly being suspended from a single support. Thus, gloves, socks, and packaged articles of many kinds are displayed in suspended relation on such supports, from which they may be slidably removed for close inspection and sale. Suspending means are commonly provided for such articles, being suitably apertured to engage slidably on the support, so that the articles may be moved onto and off the support as desired. The suspending means may be of various kinds, but one common form is substantially as illustrated and indicated generally at 22, comprising stiff paper, paperboard, or other suitable material bent upon itself into doubled condition providing a pair of panels 23 each of which has adjacent the fold connecting it to the other panel an aperture 24 registering with the corresponding aperture in the other panel. The apertures 24 are of sufiicient size to receive the support member therethrough in easily slidable relation. The goods to be displayed are carried by the lower portions of the panels 23, which as best shown in FIGURE 2 are normally held in spaced relation from each other by the merchandise carried thereby. It will be apparent that the suspending means 22 may be formed as a bag or envelope within which the merchandise is disposed, or may be a strip of material to the depending ends of which the merchandise is secured in any suitable manner. The registering apertures 24 are formed of a triangular outline corresponding to that defined by the rod portion 12 and legs 17, but of course of somewhat larger dimensions for accommodating the support without ditficulty. From FIGURE 2, it will be apparent that the suspending means 22 may readily be engaged on the support, since the upwardly bent end portion 13 is defined by the rod alone, and the apertures 24 are therefore of considerably greater cross-section than this end portion to provide for easy initial threading of the suspending means 22 on the support. As the merchandise is moved along the support from the free end portion 13, the interior edges of the panels 23 defining the apertures 24 come into engagement with the legs 17 as well as with the straight rod portion 12, the inwardly and upwardly angled portions 19 of the legs defining a tapered guide means assuring that the suspending means 22 in in ward movement along the support will assume the desired centered vertical position.

By reason of the triangular outline of the support member 10 in cross-section and the corresponding shape of the apertures 24, the suspending means and the merchandise carried thereby are prevented from any rotation or swinging in a plane transverse of the support, as will be obvious. The merchandise on any one support, therefore, cannot become engaged or entangled with merchandise on adjacent supports and interfere with the removal of merchandise from any of the supports. The suspending means 22, by reason of the spaced relationship of its panels 23, also substantially prevents any rotation of the merchandise about a vertical axis, since it provides two edges bearing on the support in longitudinally spaced relation from each other, which resist such turning or rotation of the suspending means and the goods suspended thereby. Similarly, the spaced arrangement of the panels 23 and the aperture edges bearing on the support largely prevents swinging of the suspension means and merchandise longitudinally of the support, o'r'i'n an axial plane of the support 10. Thus the merchandise on the supports is maintained in a neat and orderly arrangement which increases the appeal of the display and facilitates removal and replacement of merchandise on the supports, as well as on adjacent supports. Actually, if the suspending means 22 be forced out of the proper position, the construction and arrangement tend to return the suspending means and the goods to the desired position.

It will be clear that the legs 17 serve as braces or reinforcements which increase the strength and rigidity of the support, so that it may be employed to carry more or heavier merchandise, as well as affording the triangular outline in cross section. It will also be evident that the outline defined cross-sectionally of the support 10 might be other than triangular, so long as it is other than substantially circular, and that a greater number of legs 17 than the two disclosed might be employed if desired to provide such other cross-sectional outline. In such case, of course, the apertures in the suspending means would have a corresponding non-circular shape. It is not necessary to the invention that the legs 17 be of smaller crosssection than the straight rod portion 12, and of course it is not required that the legs be formed of a rod-like element, since the desired elongated construction may be obtained with other means, and the object of the invention achieved thereby. I I

It will be understood that the disclosed embodiment" of the invention is illustrative, and that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the concept disclosed, and accordingly it is not intended to limit the invention otherwise than as required by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A merchandise-suspending support for use in a display stand having an upstanding wall portion with at least one pair of substantially horizontally spaced perforations therethrough, said support comprising a rod having one end portion bent at generally right angles and the other end portion bent slightly upwardly in substantially the same plane as said one end portion, a generally U- shaped member including a pair of substantially parallel arms adapted to extend through said perforations, said member extending transversely of and secured to said fod within the bend of said one end portion and having the arms extending away from said rod with the end portions thereof bent in substantially a common plane to extend in a direction generally opposite to said one end portion, and a rod-like element of less diameter than said rod centrally bent to provide a pair of legs connected by a central bent portion and secured at their free ends to said central portion of the U-shaped member, said legs each extending in laterally spaced parallel relation to the rod and lying in a plane spaced therefrom by substantially the thickness of said central portion of the U-shaped member, and said central bent portion of the rod-like element being bent from said spaced plane into engagement with the rod and secured thereto in spaced relation to said bent other end portion thereof.

2. A merchandise support for use in a display stand, comprising a rod having a substantially straight portion of appreciable length, a generally U-shaped stand mounting means adjacent one end of said straight portion, said mounting means including a pair of substantially parallel arms adapted to extend through the stand and extend upwardly therefrom, said rod secured in operative position to said mounting means and a pair of elongated elements extending from said mounting means substantially parallel to said straight rod portion and to each other in a plane spaced from the straight portion, said elements having bent portions connected to the rod in spaced relation to the other end of the rod.

3. A merchandise support for use in a display stand, comprising a rod including an elongated substantially straight portion, means adjacent one end of said rod for securing the rod to said stand in operative position, and a pair of rod-like elements extending in laterally spaced substantially parallel relation to said straight rod portion in a plane spaced therefrom and connected at one end to said securing means and at the other end of the rod in spaced relation to the other end of the rod.

4. A merchandise support for use in a display stand, comprising a rod including an elongated substantially straight portion, generally U-shaped stand mounting means adjacent one end of said rod for securing the rod to said stand, said mounting means including a pair of substantially parallel arms adapted to extend through the stand and extend upwardly therefrom, said rod secured in operative position to said mounting means, and a plurality of elongated elements extending in laterally spaced substantially parallel relation to said straight rod portion and to each other, each of said elongated elements being connected at one end to said mounting means and having at the other end a bent portion connected to the rod in spaced relation from the other end of the rod.

5. In a merchandise display arrangement including a display stand, a merchandise support for use in said stand comprising a rod including a substantially straight portion of appreciable length, means adjacent one end of said rod for detachably securing the rod to said stand, said means including a generally U-shaped element having parallel arms that extend through the stand and upwardly therefrom, and a pair of elongated elements extending in laterally spaced substantially parallel relation to said straight rod portion in a plane spaced therefrom to define therewith in cross section a triangular outline, said elongated elements being connected at one end to said securing means and at the other end to the rod, and a merchandise suspension member engageable on said support having a triangular aperture corresponding to said outline for slidable engagement of the suspension member on the support in substantially non-rotatable relation.

6. In a merchandise display structure including a display stand, a merchandise support arm for use in said stand and a merchandise suspension member slidably engageable on said support arm, said arm comprising an elongated member having adjacent one end thereof U- shaped stand mounting means for securement to the stand and a substantially straight supporting portion extending from said U-shaped means, said U-shaped stand mounting means including a pair of substantially parallel arms adapted to extend through the stand, and a plurality of elongated elements extending in laterally spaced substantially parallel relation to each other and to said straight portion of said elongated member to define in cross-sectional arrangement a non-circular outline, said elongated elements being connected at one end to said mounting means and at the other end to the elongated member, and said suspension member comprising a pair of relatively stiif spaced panels having registering apertures corresponding in shape in said outline for slidably engaging the suspension member on the support member with aperture-defining edges of said panels bearing on the support arm to prevent rotation of the suspension member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 139,254 Lovejoy May 27, 1873 1,117,126 Bailey Nov. 10, 1914 1,942,893 Harris Ian. 9, 1934 2,166,708 Sullivan July 18, 1939 2,872,145 Goldsholl Feb. 3, 1959 2,902,167 Smith Sept. 1, 1959 2,954,125 Husted Sept. 27, 1960 

